Wedding joke ends in a big punch-up!

GALLANT . . . the charity boxers who raised money for Christie’s at the Holy Family Church in Failsworth

.. but it’s all for a thumping-good cause
BRITISH boxing stars John and Joe Murray were on hand to help 18 local fighters at a hard-fought charity tournament which stemmed from a joke at a wedding.

The life-long friends, all from Failsworth, Chadderton and Newton Heath, took part in a knockout event to raise money for Christie’s Cancer Trust.

The champion brothers were VIP guests for the day, meeting fans and giving much-needed support to the fighters.

Organiser, Stephen Scullion, said the tournament at the Holy Family Church, Failsworth, all stemmed from a bit of a laugh at a mate’s wedding.

He said: “The joke resulted in really fun family day where we were able to raise a substantial amount for charity.

“Everyone has been touched by cancer at some point and we would like to thank our many sponsors for helping to make the day possible.

“It took quite a lot of courage to get in the ring and fight a friend but we all had a great time and are proud of ourselves and each other.”

The event, in memory of a Failsworth woman who died of cancer recently, is hoping to reach a knockout amount of £2,000.

The nine-bout bill was fought in good spirit, with each boxer having to raise £100 sponsorship money in order to take part.

Participants were: Anthony Whitehead v Stephen Scullion, Daniel Cooke v Steven Winward, Darren Johnston v Michael Fox, Westley Robert v Vincent Edwards, Ian Scullion v Johnny Smitherman, Gary Owen v Thaison Samuel Ngan, Matthew Barham v Phil Armistead and Martin Johnson v Ste Johnson.